McMurry War Hawks (2-1) at Lubbock Christian (1-2)
Tuesday, November 25 at 7 p.m.
Lubbock, Texas (Rip Griffin Center)
 
About McMurry
Former Heartland Conference member McMurry is off to a 2-1 start this season. The War Hawks kicked off the year with a pair of wins before being drubbed at Wayland Baptist, 91-61, Monday night. McM's leading scorer, Connor Robinson, came into last night's contest averaging 40 points and 18 rebounds but was hit in the face against WBU early on and did not return, only logging two points in seven minutes.
 
History between Chaps and War Hawks
The all-time series between LCU and McM is a close one, being tied at 26-all from 1971 through the 2000-2001 season. The squads did not face each other again until last season where the Chaps took two victories.
 
Last meeting between LCU and McM
ABILENE, Texas (January 18, 2014) – Tyler Rogers tallied 17 points to lead five Chaps in double figures as Lubbock Christian used a crucial 19-7 run midway through the second half to slip past McMurry in a 77-60 victory at Kimbrell Arena on January 18.
Eli Baker posted his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Jeremy Ford tied his season-high with 13 points, and Anthony Brancato and A.J. Luckey each added a dozen. The Chaps knocked down a season-high 28-of-33 from the charity stripe and committed a season-low eight turnovers.
Two three-pointers by Ford and another by Rogers broke open a close game to put the Chaps (8-5, 3-4 Heartland) up 47-35 with 12:41 to play in the second half. Those nine consecutive points were a part of the vital run LCU used in the opening nine minutes after halftime to put the Chaps in control at 50-35 with 11 minutes remaining.
The War Hawks (8-8, 3-4 Heartland), playing without its two leading scorers in Kourtney Goff and Brandon Golden, were able to pull within eight on a three-point play by Alfred Perez, but four straight free throws by Rogers opened the gap again for a 57-45 Chap advantage with 8:07 on the clock. McMurry was unable to pull within single digits the rest of the way, as the Chaps hit all 10 of their free throws in the last five minutes of the contest, with Luckey draining all eight of his attempts.
The Chaps jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the contest on jumpers from Beau Durham, Brancato and Rogers before the War Hawks were able to make their way into the scoring column on a layup by Perez. Connor Robinson gave McMurry its first lead of the contest on a bucket in the paint at 10:06 for a slight 13-12 edge. The first seven field goals of the contest for the Chaps came from seven different players, with Quay Johnson's three-pointer culminating the stretch for a 17-15 Chap lead. 
Two free throws by Brancato tied the game at 23-23 with 3:25 to play, and a free throw by Baker gave the Chaps the lead they had lost eight minutes earlier. Another shot from beyond the arc by Johnson extended LCU's lead to 29-26, but McMurry's Will Adams scored off of a Jordan Holmes' miss with nine seconds left to cut the lead to one. A three-point attempt by Johnson before the buzzer was unsuccessful.
A jumper by Baker began the offense for LCU in the second half, and Marcus Arrington followed with a three-pointer on the next possession to put the Chaps up 34-28 two minutes in. Ford scored on three consecutive trips down the court, hitting a jumper and two three-pointers, all of which came during the decisive run by the Chaps.
Perez scored a game-high 22 points for the War Hawks, and Alex Lewis and Holmes each recorded 14.
 
Luckey off to strong start
A.J. Luckey, the Chaps leading returning scorer, is at the forefront of LCU's offense, producing a team-best 20.3 points per game. His efforts during opening weekend earned him All-Tournament honors at the Texan Tip-Off, which included a game-high 24 points against Texas A&M-Commerce. The junior from Dallas is also contributing 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.
 
Shallow bench for Chaps
Head Coach Todd Duncan has been unable to reach deep into his roster during the early goings of the season, only relying on eight players in the rotation. Tyler Rogers, who would have been the Chaps' leading returning scorer, underwent ankle surgery prior to the season and is using a medical redshirt in 2014-15. Big man Ondrej Gargula (rib) along with guards Jacob Dawson (ankle) and Broderick Perkins (ankle) have yet to be cleared for the Chaps, giving Duncan just six healthy, returning bodies. Freshmen Marcos Schuster and Scout Teal have stepped in and are collectively giving the Chaps 10.3 points and five rebounds a game.
 
Chaps gross first win in home opener
LUBBOCK, Texas (November 22, 2014) – Four Chaps scored in double figures to guide Lubbock Christian to its first win of the 2014-15 campaign in a 92-78 victory over Hillsdale Free Will Baptist Saturday afternoon inside The Rip Griffin Center in LCU's home opener.
A.J. Luckey scored a game-high 23 points, while Beau Durham added 19, Ridrell Holman registered 14, and Marcos Schuster contributed 10. The Chaps were quite proficient from the three-point line, knocking down 10-of-18 from deep, including four from Holman and a trio by Durham.
The Chaps (1-2) dominated the first half, outscoring the Saints 51-30 but struggled after the break, allowing 48 points while only producing 41. LCU pushed the lead to 25 on a pair of free throws by Durham with 15:23 remaining, but the Saints (2-5) went on a 9-2 run within the next three minutes to close the gap to 63-47. A personal foul on Hillsdale's Marquis Burden preceded a technical foul being called on teammate Phil Carey, resulting in four made free throws by Luckey to put the Chaps up by 20 with 12:15 on the clock.
Two layups and a jumper by HFWB's Adam Morales pulled the Saints within 74-59 at the 8:38 mark, but a pair of free throws from Marcos Schuster and a fast break layup by Marcus Arrington extended the Chap lead to 78-59. The Saints continued to battle, steadily chipping away, closing to within nine points on a three-point play by Marcus Moody with just under four minutes remaining in the contest. LCU went without a field goal for the remainder of the game, but Isaac Cardona converted two of his four shots from the line for an 11-point Chap advantage at the two-minute mark. The Saints missed their final six shots from the field, and four free throws by Luckey and another by Cardona finished off Hillsdale for the 14-point win.
The Chaps scored less field goals than the Saints (27 compared to 29), but connected on twice as many from the charity stripe (28-of-40 to 14-of-22). Eight of LCU's 10 three-pointers came in the first half, while 19 of the team's 28 free throws were within the final twenty minutes.
For Hillsdale, Morales posted 22 points, Phil Carey collected 21, and Moody registered the game's only double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.